


To Have You In My Life

by DawnsEternalLight



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Burns, Canon-Typical Violence, Damian Wayne is Robin, Damian is trying his hardest, Dick Grayson is Batman, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Non-Graphic Description of Injury, Prompt Fic, Rescue, black mask - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:20:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28554519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnsEternalLight/pseuds/DawnsEternalLight
Summary: When Black Mask manages to capture both Batman and Robin it's up to Damian to save the day. It was all his fault after all, so he has to save his Batman, if only to make sure he knows how important he is to Damian.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne
Comments: 7
Kudos: 115
Collections: Bat Family 18+ Discord Server January Prompt Event





	To Have You In My Life

**Author's Note:**

> So one of the discord servers I'm a part of is doing prompts for the whole month of January and this was inspired by yesterday's list of prompts: "I never asked to have you in my life". I'm not making a series for this prompt event (since I haven't completed any I started lately) but we'll see how many I get done.

Damian’s chest ached as he pulled his arms into an even more uncomfortable position to reach behind him and into his boot. There his fingers finally grabbed the small bag containing lock picks he had tucked there. They might have taken his utility belt, but it wasn’t the only place he kept tools.

He tugged the bag out, and fumbled blindly with the strings, at last getting it open. After that it was a simple matter of finding the tiny handcuff key he kept in there, and slipping it into the cuffs around his wrist.

A simple matter yes, but by the time he was done his chest felt on fire from all the movement, and how his arms kept putting pressure on an injury that he should be resting. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t wait around for rescue or give himself a moment to breathe. He had to move. To get up and rescue himself first, then Grayson.

When his wrists were free, Damian released a sigh of relief as he pulled his arms around. It was all the break he gave himself before pushing himself to his feet and moving to the door of the cell he’d been tossed in.

Damian glanced out the small barred window down both sides of the dim hall and noted zero guards. He scoffed gently, he thought Black Mask would have cared more about keeping Batman and Robin once he’d caught them, but apparently not.

Or perhaps it was just Robin he didn’t care about.

That thought dug like a needle under his skin. He ignored it, and the sting of his own personal failure that night --it was his fault they were in this mess after all. He retrieved a few picks, and reached through the bars to work on the lock. After a few seconds he heard the click, and swung the door open.

He crept down the hall all the way to the cell they’d dumped Batman in before taking Damian to his own. His chest was tight as he remembered the promises they’d made that he’d never see Robin again, and the taunting of everything they’d do to him first and Grayson’s own angry cries of denial.

They hadn’t touched Damian beyond dragging him further down the hall to be tossed in his own cell and knocked out. Not that Grayson had known that, nor had he ever responded to any of Damian’s calls that he was fine once he’d woken up, groggy but already concerned for his brother.

The fact that Grayson hadn’t responded that really worried him. Had they knocked him out too? Already moved him somewhere? Put him in a soundproof room? Or was Grayson not responding because he blamed Damian for all this?

It was, of course, Damian’s fault. He’d rushed into a fight Grayson had warned him would be dangerous and gotten them caught. All because he’d wanted to prove himself, because he had wanted to make sure Grayson knew he was ready for anything. His brother’s warnings had felt, at the time, like a dismissal of Damian’s skills. He knew now they’d come out of a place of protection not condemnation. Unfortunately, that was a lesson learned too late.

“Batman?” Damian whispered, peering into the cell.

It was empty.

His stomach dropped. He had no idea where Grayson was. What they were doing to him. Those same threats they’d made towards Damian rang in his ears again, this time turned against Batman. Grayson had warned Damian about Black Mask, how cruel he was. How he was a fan of torture over outright killing someone. Damian knew Black Mask would have eventually made good on his threats against himself if he’d stayed in that cell long enough, whatever he was doing to Batman was probably even worse.

He turned, intent on turning the whole base over in search of his brother, and instead found himself face to face with Black Mask, his face unsettling in Damian’s inability to read it. His blue eyes though, Damian could read, and the glee there twisted his stomach in a way the worry over his missing partner hadn’t.

Beside him were too goons, and Batman was nowhere to be seen.

“Looking for your partner?” Roman asked, “Don’t worry, we’ll show you where he’s at.”

Damian tried to leap at one of the men, but the other had his cape while Roman himself kicked Damian in his already bruised ribs hard enough he heard something crack. His vision whited as the air went out of him with a whoosh. In his disorientation, one of the goons managed to get his hands behind him again, and back in a pair of handcuffs.

“This time, I think we will keep an eye on you.” Roman commented, voice easy and free of tension.

He was dragged, pushed, and prodded down the hall, back up the stairs into Black Mask’s lair. From there Damian found himself herded into a large mostly empty room. He froze, despite the goon’s shove to his shoulder, seeing Batman chained up in one corner.

Grayson had to have been there for a while now. He looked bad, bloody bruised, and slumped against the wall. It made Damian furious. That anyone would touch his Batman, let alone put him through whatever torture they had.

A second shove had Damian stumbling forward with a yelp of surprise. Batman’s head raised at that, and Damian watched as surprise then anger twist his lips.

Damian wasn’t sure what to do with that expression. He bottled up the complicated mess of feelings at it, shoving them deep down to focus on the problem at hand. He had a feeling he hadn’t been brought here to collect Batman and go.

He was pulled closer to Grayson, but not so much they could reach each other. As he stood there, he worked the locks against his wrists again. Earlier, he’d slipped the key between his glove and gauntlet just in case, and it was turning out to have been a good plan.

Chains rattled as Grayson tried to straighten. Instead of making threats or quips he only groaned. It made the anger in Damian’s chest double to fury.

“I’ve brought in a playmate, I hope you don’t mind.” Roman said, reaching out a hand to ruffle Damian’s hair.

He scowled, irritation rising. He glanced around, confirming that all three men he’d been with were out of vision and hooked the key into the lock, ready to twist it when the right time came. Not yet. Not quite yet. He didn’t have any weapons, and Damian knew if he gave Roman a few seconds one would be procured for him.

The hand twisted, grabbing his hair to yank Damian’s head up from where his eyes had been locked on his partner, “I think we’ll start with the brand.”

Grayson growled, and tugged against the chains again.

Damian waited, apparently docile as one of the goons stepped away, collected something from a table, and approached with a device that most certainly hadn’t been intended on being used as a brand. I looked like the electric fire starter Grayson had used when they’d been grilling at the Manor. The device was basically a loop of metal with both ends connected to a handle that was usually used to heat coals. It’s cord trailed back to a long extension cord.

It was currently glowing red hot, but that was fine. It wouldn’t touch Damian’s skin. In a move, he ducked, ignoring the pain of hair pulled from his scalp, and twisted into a kick that took the legs out from under the goon who’d been helping to hold Damian in place.

He’d caught the man off guard, and his grip broke the moment Damian moved, startled. He didn’t have time to react further as his legs were swept from Damian’s kick, and he went tumbling to his back.

As Damian stood, he unlocked the cuffs, and slipped them off, into one palm. Distantly, he heard Black Mask laugh, but his focus was on the second goon, running at him now with the fire starter.

Damian dove forward, ducking while flinging one end of the cuffs up to catch around the looped end of the rod, as he slid across the floor and under the man, he yanked as hard as he could. He felt the cuffs catch, and then after a second’s resistance, he heard a scream accompanied by the smell of burning flesh.

When Damian stopped, he spun on his heel, still crouched. Behind him, the man had dropped the fire starter and was grabbing at one of his thighs, the fabric covering it smoking slightly. Damian grinned, hopped to his feet and rammed the man in the side, shoving him back.

As the goon stumbled, he stepped on the fire starter and yelled again, scrambling to move away. While he did so, Damian lifted it by the handle and yanked on the cord, dragging it and the extension cord out of the socket to loop around his arm. He brandished the makeshift weapon like a sword, and turned to face off against the first goon, who’d returned to his feet.

Not wanting to forget the most dangerous of players, Damian kept an eye on Black Mask. The man seemed content to watch for the moment, which was a bad sign. He probably had reinforcements on the way, meaning Damian needed to wrap this up right now.

The second goon lunged at Damian with a knife. He parried it easily, and smacked the back of the guy’s hand with the still burning metal. The guy yelped and dropped the knife. His unburned hand went to his hip for a gun. Damian thrust the weapon out again, and the guy lurched back, both hands raised now in fear.

Anger over this whole situation was fueling Damian’s moves, but still, he couldn’t give in to petty attacks. Not against this guy at least. Black Mask might be a different matter altogether, especially knowing he had been behind hurting Grayson.

Instead of lunging to burn the man, Damian feinted, unspooling the cord from his arm to fling forward like a whip. The weight of the plug helped pull it around the man’s legs and as Damian ran he managed to twist it just so and yanked the guy off his feet for the second time that day. This time when he went down, he hit his head and passed out.

When Damian turned again the burned man had disappeared, and Roman had lost all appearances of entertainment. He’d pulled out his own gun and was making his way towards Batman.

Damian dragged the cord back and immediately flung it out towards Black Mask, catching his wrist holding the gun. He dragged it back, gaining both some time for Grayson, and the man’s attention.

“Fine, let’s play.” Roman said, and immediately fired off two shots towards Damian.

He dove out of the way, one of the bullets catching his cape, and rolled back to his feet.

Before Damian could haul the extension cord back to himself, Roman stepped on it. Unwilling to lose his only hand held weapon, Damian yanked on the cord again, pulling it from the plug at the end of the other one.

Roman shot at Damian again, and he dodged, rolling over in the direction of the thug he’d taken down. After a moment’s thought, Damian also flung the heater at Black Mask, and watched long enough to see it catch the man in the arm.

As Black Mask screamed, Damian reached out, snatched the thug’s fallen knife and ran in the direction of Roman, tackling him to the ground before he could get a fourth shot off.

They wrestled for a moment, but Damian was all fury. Fury for his Batman, for his brother, for what Black Mask had been planning to do to him in front of Grayson. He rained blows on Black Mask, hitting harder than was probably appropriate, and slashing where he could with the fins on his gauntlets. Even being smaller than the other man he managed to pin him, a knee on his chest, foot on the hand with the gun, and his stolen knife pressed to Roman’s throat.

Both breathed heavily as they stared at one another. Damian relatively fine, while Black Mask had begun to look like Batman.

“Do it.” Black Mask spat, “Be the vicious brat everyone claims you are.”

From his place by the wall Damian heard Grayson’s voice at last, mumbling a quiet, “No.”

There was a glint in Roman’s eyes, like he’d wanted this to happen. Maybe not to him, maybe to one of the goons, but there had been a reason he’d made it so easy for Damian to escape both times. A reason he'd brought him to Batman. And one as to why he hadn’t called for backup.

If he’d wanted it, there’d have been no way for Damian to have gotten this far.

No, he was pushing Damian. Trying to hurt Batman in the worst way possible: by making him watch his Robin kill someone.

With that, his fury fizzled and Damian growled. He lifted the blade, spun it in his hand, and clocked the man in the temple with the hilt.

“Idiot.” he grumbled.

Damian cuffed Black Mask with the handcuffs he’d kept close, then stood and tied up the thug he’d knocked unconscious with the extension cord. After that, he ran over to Grayson.

“Batman.” he whispered, reaching out and hesitating unsure of himself.

His brain was screaming at him to get Grayson free and out of there, but the night’s events were spinning around in his mind on a repetitive loop of failure and frustration. He’d messed up all night. From getting them caught to almost falling for Black Mask’s scheme, and worst of all getting Grayson hurt.

“Batman.” he said, again, and any further words caught in his throat, he cleared it, “Give me a moment to free you.”

He leaned around Grayson to find the lock on the chains holding him back. After a few moments of fiddling with his lock picks he got it open. As gently as he could, he pulled the chains off his brother and moved back around to face him.

“I’m going to get you out of here.” he explained, “I apologize if this hurts.” with that he reached out and tugged Grayson up, pulling an arm around his own shoulders to heft Grayson and his full weight up.

His brother seemed too out of it to really do much to help move himself, let alone berate him for Damian’s actions that night. That at least was good, Damian didn’t have to answer for his every failure or face Grayson’s disappointment while also dragging him out of this creepy base.

His heart twinged as he remembered what Roman had said. About being vicious. He could hear Grayson’s tiny plea of ‘no’ again. Couldn’t shake the memory of Grayson being upset with him when he’d first come in. And of how his own fears that Grayson was mad about Damian’s initial failure.

He swallowed down all those emotions and focused on getting his Batman home. If Grayson hated him, and thought him a killer he could face that later. If he was tired of Damian running ahead or trying to reign in years of training Damian himself was trying so hard to shake, he’d also deal with that later. All that mattered right now was making sure his brother would be fine.

With every bump and stumble Damian made Grayson groaned. Each noise took Damian’s heart and squeezed it even tighter, but he didn’t have time to be careful, he had to get his brother out.

Thankfully, it seemed Black Mask really hadn’t called any extra assistance because Damian got Grayson out of the hideout without any further attacks. From there he managed to call the Batmobile, and got his brother settled into the passenger's seat. There was no way he was conscious enough to drive, let alone argue against Damian being behind the wheel.

As he drove, he called Pennyworth and updated him on the situation. Periodically he checked on Grayson himself, to ensure the man was still breathing. Damian was just happy they only had the distance to the bunker to drive, instead of all the way out to the Manor. He wasn’t sure he could take worrying that long.

It wasn’t until Grayson was settled in a cot and resting that Damian found himself able to breathe again. Even then, he sat in a chair next to Grayson’s bed, knees pulled up to a chest still throbbing, and waited.

Anxiety pooled in his stomach as he sat there. No longer for Grayson, but for what he would say.

He didn’t want to be sent away. He equally didn’t want to face a Grayson who believed him willing to kill now. He would have. For his brother. But he didn’t for the same reason. He respected him enough to believe his teachings, and try his best to follow them. Even if sometimes he’d rather have killed the monster who’d hurt Grayson rather than let him live.

It might actually be better if he left now. But he couldn’t do that either. Damian did not want to lose one of the only people he really considered family anymore.

“Dames?” Grayson’s voice pulled him out of his head.

“Grayson.” Damian straightened to attention, “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got run through a meat grinder. He didn’t put me through one of those right?”

Damian shook his head, “I would not have let it get that far.”

His brother looked him over, frowning. Damian realized then what he’d said, the implication that perhaps he would have killed Black Mask before letting him hurt Grayson further.

He swallowed, “Before you reprimand me, allow me to speak.”

Damian shuffled a bit in his chair, not looking his brother in the eyes, “I--I did not ask to have you in my life. And I know you did not ask to have me in yours. I understand I am not the easiest of partners, but I do not wish to exit your life, or have you leave mine.”

His throat felt tight, the words hard to get out, “You are my partner, and my brother, and if I was angry and impulsive tonight it was because you were hurt. I realize that makes me emotionally compromised, and if that means I must step back from Robin then I will just please, do not send me away. Don’t--don’t think I would have actually--I wanted to but, you have taught me otherwise and I would never--”

Tears flooded Damian’s vision as he realized it was his heart in his throat. He couldn’t continue. Couldn’t admit to thinking Grayson might believe him a killer still.

“Dames.” Grayson said, “Oh, Damian. I’m not going to reprimand you.”

He reached a hand up that Damian took.

“I am so happy you’re part of my life.” he squeezed Damian’s hand, “And I promise, I didn’t think you were going to kill him.”

“Then why did you say no?” Damian blurted, the question burning so bright he couldn’t keep himself from asking.

His brother leaned over and reached the other hand out to cup Damian’s cheek, “Because he was wrong, I was telling him no. You’re a good kid Damian. You have a good heart, and you should never believe I think otherwise.” he brushed his thumb along Damian’s cheek, “I love you, Sweetest. Please don’t ever think otherwise.”

Damian nodded, “Grayson?”

“Hmm?”

“I too love you, I do not say it often but--”

His brother’s face broke into a grin, “I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that. Come on, victory hug.”

“You are in bed.” Damian said, attempting to bury his embarrassment.

“Then join me. I saw that hit you took before we got caught. Did you tell Alfred your ribs are bruised?”

“Broken now.” Damian muttered.

Grayson’s look darkened at that, but Damian knew it was not at him. “Bed, now. Or you will be taking a break from Robin.”

“This is coercion.” Damian grumbled, but carefully climbed into the bed to curl beside his brother.

Grayson wrapped his arms around him, and smiled, “There, that wasn’t so hard was it.”

Damian grumbled, “If I hurt you at all let me know and I will find my own bed.”

His brother tugged him closer, “I’d say you’re helping just fine right here.”

As usual, Grayson was right. Not, of course, that Damian would admit it to him. But if he snuggled a little closer at his brother’s statement and smiled, happy to be helping, well neither of them mentioned that either.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact, the electric charcoal starter/heater here was inspired by my annual re-watch of Home Alone and my desire to figure out exactly what the thing Kevin uses to heat up the door handle is called. You can see an image of it [here](https://www.bloggernews.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/home-alone-04.jpg)


End file.
